Chinese spy ship monitored U.S. missile defense test: Report

Chinese spy ships have stepped up worldwide intelligence gathering operations over the past few years in order to gain a tactical advantage over adversaries in the event a war were to occur.

One such Chinese spy ship was spotted off Alaska in July of 2017 and was accredited with witnessing the “live test of the THAAD missile defense system,” according to a Pentagon report.

The test of Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system in question took place July 11, 2017, and involved a target missile launched from a C-17 transport aircraft north of Hawaii. The target missile was intercepted by a THAAD interceptor launched from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska, located on Kodiak Island.

The test was the 14th successful missile intercept test in 14 attempts for THAAD, and simulated the shooting down of an intermediate-range ballistic missile.

The July 11 test also was intended as a U.S. signal to the North Koreans, who seven days earlier conducted a test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

In addition to spying on the THAAD test, another Dongdiao-class spy ship was spotted in the Coral Sea as part of spying operations against a joint U.S.-Australian naval exercise the same month last year, the report stated.